Sensors can be used for a variety of purposes in connection with industrial manufacturing and industrial automation systems. For instance, sensors (e.g., photoelectric sensors) can be employed for a variety of different applications that can be found in a variety of industries, such as material handling, packaging, food processing, transportation, logistics, construction, and semiconductor manufacturing.
With regard to photoelectric sensors, a photoelectric sensor essentially can be viewed as a switch, wherein the mechanical actuator or lever arm function of the switch is replaced with a beam of light. Photoelectric sensors can operate by sensing a change in the amount of light received by a photodetector of the sensors, wherein the detected change in light can allow a sensor to detect the presence or absence of an object, and/or detect a size, a shape, reflectivity, opacity, translucence, or color, of the object. Photoelectric sensors can provide accurate detection of objects without physical contact with the objects.
The above-described description is merely intended to provide a contextual overview relating to sensors, and is not intended to be exhaustive.